Gage.



HIA. ROBERTSON.

GAGE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1, 1913. 1,105,700. Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

.or other container whose liquid level is to HARVEY A. ROBERTSON, OF ECONOMY, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent Patented Aug. t, 1914.

Application filed July 1, 1913. Serial No. 776,883.

1 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY A. Roi'inn'rsolv, i a citizen of the United States, residing at 3 Economy, in the county of Beaver and State o'l Pennsylvania, have invented certain'new and useful Improvements in Gages, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in liquid level gages of the type commonly known as safety and the objects in view are the insurance of eii'ective operation and ease of access to and replacement of parts.

\Vith these and further objects in view, the invention comprises fluid and liquid supply 1 ports, a gage tube therebetween, and slid-l ing valves between the ports and gage tube, l each oi said sliding valves having a port" aliording (:onunnnication to the tube and having means for eliccting rapid closing of said port in the instance of the breaking of the tube.

The invention comprises other novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts as Will be hereinafter more tullyij described and claimed.

In the accom 'ianying drawings: Figure 1 is a view partly in longitlulinal vertical section and partly in side elevation of a gage embodying the features ol' the present invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation thcreo't.

teterring to the drawings by numerals, 1, 1, indicate the upper and lower ports which are adapted to communicate with the boiler be gaged. Each o'l the ports l is rontrollei l by a ground'mlve 2 disposed in a..' d alincment with the bore of the port and is adapted at times to occupy a seat at the outer terminus of the bore for closing the port.

casings 5).

Each of the valves 2 is carried by an appropriate stem 3 which extends through the housing with which the respective port communicates and provided with an operat ing wheel or handle 5 at its outer end. The intermediateportion of the stem 3 is preferably tl'ircaded, as indicated at (3 for enabling longitudinal reciprocation of the valve 2 in the ordinary manner, leakage about the valve 10 being obviated by the employment oil? an appropriate packing gland 7. The housings l are provided with lateral tubular extensions 8, the upper housing having its extension pendent and the lower housing having its extension upstanding in axial alineinent with the pendent extension. A.

sleeve or casin 5) is threaded into the free end of each of the casings 8 and is formed with afibore 10 having a snug or ground lit with a sliding valve 11 which extends through said bore, the outer portion of each sleeve 5) having an enlarged bore 12 into which the outer end portion of the respective tubular sliding valve 11 extends. A packing gland 13 engages the free end of each sleeve 9 and a gage tube 14 has its end portions extending through the respective glands 13 into the enlarged bores 12 0f the Each valve 11 has its outer end provided with an annular flange formed, as a matter of convenience in assemblage and dismantling, of a nut 15 which rests against the respective end of the tube l l at one side and at the other side rests against the annular shoulder which occurs at the juncture of the bore 10 with the bore 12 of the respective sleeve 9. The inner end portion of each tubular or sliding valve ll, that is the end adjacent to the respective valve 2 is formed with an annular flange 1(3 and the face of the respective end of said valve is hollowed out or concave, as indicatedat 17, for increasing accessibility of pressure fluid to the end of the respective valve 1. Adjacent to the flange 16 each sliding valve 11 is formed with ports 18, 18, which open normally into the chamber formed by housing t for admitting the free passage of fluid through the bore of the respective port .1 to the glass 14.

The operation of the structure will be apparent l'roin the foregoing and consists in the movement of the iluids through the bores ol the ports 1 into the housings 4; and through the ports 18 into the tube 14 for in dicating the liquid level. Should the tube It become broken for any reason, the pres sure on the end 17 of valves 11, which is constant though inell'cctive so long as the tube 1 1 remains intact, thrusts the two valves 11 outwardly, that is, toward each other until the llange ll; of each strikes the inner end of the respective casing 9 and is sealed thereon, the ports 18 having in the meantime moved into the bore 10 and thus rendered excess o'l 'ilnid through said ports impossible. Thus whenever the tube 14: is broken, instead of being accompanied by the continued loss of pressure [luid,tl'1esnpplyoi? [laid at both ends ol the gage is practically instantly shut oil. The operator then ihroken fragments of the tube 14: and inserts a new tube;

An essentially valuable feature of the in-v vention is the facility for access to all parts for replacement by new parts and for cleaning of the parts, and a further very valuable feature is the quickness with which the automatic valves'llcact to shut off loss of pressure fluid, the movement of the valves being exceptionally quick because of the particular means of-applying pressure thereto incident to the employment at concave faces 17 v Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is:

1. In a gage, the combination of housings adapted to communicate with a source of pressure fluid supply, a casing detachably engaging and communicating with each of the housings, the casing having a relatively small bore for a portion of its length and a relatively large bore for the remaining portion of its length, a gage tube disposed between and extending into the enlarged bores of said casings, a sliding, tubular valve eX tending through the reduced bore of each of the casings, each of said valves having an annular flange at each end and having a port adjacent its inner end for normally maintaining communication between therespective housing and the gage tube, the outer flange of the valve engaging the tube and being adapted to be held thereby against longitudinal movement while the gage tube remains intact.

2. In a gage, the-combination of housings.

each housing having a tubular extension projecting toward the other, a tubular casing' threaded into each of said extensions, each tubular casinghaving a reduced bore longitudinally of its inner portion and an enlarged bore longitudinally of its outer portion, a gage tube having itsoppositeends extending intothe enlarged bores of the respective casing, a tubular sliding valve snugly fitting and slidingly mounted in the smaller bore of each casing and having its inner end portions exposed to the'contained pressure, each sliding valve having a port establishing communication between the respective housing and gage tube, the outer end of the valve being formed with'an annular flange in the enlarged bore of the respective tubular casing resting against the gage tube for enabling longitudinal movement of the valve when the gage becomes broken, the valve upon dislocation of the gage tube having freedom for movement for a distance suliicient for bringing the port within the smaller bore of said casing for closing the port, and a packing gland surrounding the gage and engaging the tubular casing and closing its enlarged bore.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

HARVEY A. ROBERTSON. lVitnesses S. R. WATKINS, Y W. L. BRITTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the o n i'l of P en Washington, D. G. 

